Orcs: Forged for War by Stan Nicholls and Joe Flood

Oh, poor orcs. That Tolkien sure sealed their reputation as some of the biggest baddies of all time. But what if orcs aren’t actually that awful? What if they’ve just been…misunderstood all these years? Stan Nicholls has created a world called Maras-Dantia where warlike orcs may crack a few skulls and slice off a few appendages, but they do so only when they’ve been hired for a job. This time the big green guys, led by Captain Stryke, have been ordered to accompany a caravan of goblins who are on a secret mission concerning a mysterious new weapon for the bloodthirsty half-human, half-nyadd Queen Jennesta. However, they don’t get far before the orcs begin to smell something rotten in the state of Maras-Dantia. The goblins refuse to tell the orcs where they’re headed, they force them to do hard manual labor that is beneath them, and they put the orc troop in danger more than once buy ignoring blatant signs of trouble. Soon Stryke begins to suspect a double cross, but he’s bound to follow Jennesta’s command or suffer terrible consequences. The only thing left to do is fight like orcs, and keep each other safe from the goblins’ horrific secret weapon. This incredibly gory GN is an adaptation of Stan Nicholl’s Orcsnovels, which are pretty big in the UK. Friends, I give you fair warning, these are not for the quesy-stomached among you. Debut artist Joe Flood shows the orc’s battle scenes, that include multiple impalings and beheadings, up close and in full color. In addition, Queen Jennesta is a nasty of the highest order whose favorite snack is a still-beating heart that she pulls out of the chests of her petrified victims. But if you’re looking for a tip-top violent adventure outside of “been there, done that” video games and tediously long summer action movies, then ORCS is probably right up your alley. Enjoy! (just not while eating).